There are many instances in the construction of buildings such as houses in which framing members must be accurately spaced to provide proper sizing and strength. This is particularly true of wall sections consisting of spaced vertical studs which are attached at their ends to top and bottom plates. It is common for such wall sections to be constructed on a horizontal surface such as a floor and raised to their vertical position to be attached to the floor or other wall sections. The top and bottom plates are generally carefully measured and marked at the positions where the studs are to attach. Each stud is then manually positioned between the plates, aligned with the proper marks, and attached to the plates with nails. This process is not only time consuming, it also requires the skill of an experienced carpenter and is subject to measurement errors which result in improper stud placement.
Previous attempts to simplify the process of constructing wall sections have not been entirely successful. U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,337 of Dreiling shows a device for marking the top and bottom plates for stud placement. While this device reduces measurment errors, it still requires that each stud position be marked on the plates and that each stud be manually aligned with the marks and attached. The result is that very little time is saved over traditional construction methods. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,201,874 of Christy and 4,420,921 of Hardin show devices for holding two studs in a predetermined spaced relationship. While these devices are useful, they are not suited to holding a plurality of studs nor do they insure that the ends of the studs are aligned or that the top and bottom plates are correctly positioned to be attached to the studs. As a result, the top and bottom plates must still be manually positioned and the ends of the studs must be manually aligned for attachment to the plates. This is a tedious process and can be at least as time consuming as traditional methods.
Nowhere in the prior art of which Applicant is aware is there shown a means for aligning and spacing both studs and plates and holding these in proper position while being attached to each other.